Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson is known for his comedic work in projects including Zombieland and Cheers, as well as HBO drama True Detective.
But did you know that his father is also incredibly famous for being a mobster and contract killer?
The details have never been secret; Woody has often spoken about how his father, Charles Harrelson, left the family home in 1968, leaving his wife Diane to raise Woody and his two brothers.
They did not speak for 13 years until 1981, when the news broke that Charles had been arrested for the murder of Judge John H. Wood, the first federal judge to be assassinated in the 20th century.
“My father is one of the most articulate, well-read, charming people I’ve ever known. Still, I’m just now gauging whether he merits my loyalty or friendship. I look at him as someone who could be a friend more than someone who was a father,” Woody once said of his father.
© Bettmann ArchiveHowever recently an Instagram account called historyfeels shared details of the crimes that Charles had committed. In 1968, the year he left his sons, Charles was tried for the murder of Alan Harry Berg; he was acquitted in 1970.
Also in 1968 he was tried for the murder-for-hire killing of Sam Degelia Jr; Charles reportedly received $2,000 (the equivalent of $18,000 in 2020) for the murder of the father of four. His first trial ended with a deadlocked jury but in 1973 he was retried and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released early for good behavior in 1978.
© Bettmann ArchiveThat same year U.S. district judge John H. Wood Jr. who was known for being tough on drug dealers and offences, was murdered in cold blood.
In 1981, two years later, Charles was apprehended when the police were called to a disturbance that saw him waving a gun at imaginary FBI agents. An anonymous tip and a tape recording of a conversation between drug dealer Jamiel Chagra and his brother Joe Chagra led to Charles being charged with Judge Wood’s murder, after it emerged that Jamiel paid Charles $250,000 to kill the judge on the day of his trial.
© Bettmann ArchiveCharles was sentenced to two life terms, and his then-wife Jo-Ann was sentenced to consecutive terms totaling 25 years. Joe received a 10-year sentence as part of a plea bargain to testify for the prosecution against Charles; Jamiel was acquitted.
Jamiel’s wife Elizabeth Chagra was found guilty of delivering $250,000 to pay Charles.
© Bettmann ArchiveOn July 4, 1995, Charles and two other inmates attempted to escape from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary using a makeshift rope, but the trio surrendered after a warning shot was fired.
In 2003, Joe recanted his statements, and Woody attempted to secure a new trial, although without success, and in 2007 Charles was found dead in his cell after a heart attack.
“I was today years old when I learned this,” exclaimed one follower as another shared: “Hats off to Woody Harrelson for not letting his past personal life dictate his own life and, ultimately, his career as an actor. Brilliant actor.”
© Getty ImagesThe story also has another twist – and Woody’s close friend Matthew McConaughey once claimed that his mother knew Woody’s father around early 1969 when he was conceived, and that there was the possibility Charles was Matthew’s father.
They have publicly discussed taking a DNA test to be certain but have never confirmed or denied the result..
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